United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2015
Honors the extraordinary courage and heroism of U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, college student Anthony Sadler, French-American Mark Moogalian, British consultant Chris Norman, and Frenchman Damien A. who selflessly risked their lives to prevent a terrorist attack that could have killed dozens aboard a passenger train bound for Paris. Extends best wishes for a full recovery to all innocent individuals who were injured during the attack, including U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone and French-American Mark Moogalian.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Protecting Local Business Opportunity Act This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to allow two or more employers to be considered joint employers for purposes of the Act only if each shares and exercises control over essential terms and conditions of employment and such control over these matters is actual, direct, and immediate.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2015
Declares that the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of the Honorable Richard Schultz Schweiker, former member of the United States Senate. Declares that when the Senate adjourns on September 9, 2015, it stand adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the former Senator.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Mental Health and Safe Communities Act of 2015 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants for: (1) mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, (2) state compliance with federal mental health records requirements, (3) court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment, (4) pretrial screening and supervision, (5) behavioral health assessments and intervention, (6) forensic assertive community treatment, and (7) the establishment of a National Criminal Justice and Mental Health Training and Technical Assistance Center. In addition, the bill expands the purposes for which grant funds may be used under existing programs related to: (1) public safety and community policing, (2) staffing for adequate fire and emergency response, (3) school security, and (4) residential substance abuse treatment for inmates. DOJ must establish a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of diverting eligible offenders to drug or mental health courts. Each of the federal uniformed services must be provided specialized mental health training. With respect to an existing grant program for drug treatment alternatives to incarceration, the bill revises program requirements and expands the program to also cover mental health treatment alternatives. Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act of 2015 DOJ is further authorized to award grants: (1) for sequential intercept mapping, which is aimed at minimizing criminal justice involvement for individuals with mental illness; (2) for various programs related to the behavioral health of veterans; (3) to assist correctional facilities in addressing the needs of inmates with mental illness; and (4) to train law enforcement in responding to situations involving individuals with mental illness. The bill revises the definition of "preliminarily qualified offenders" who must be targeted by certain grant-funded collaboration programs between mental health and justice agencies. The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 and revises the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007. Current law prohibits the sale or disposition of a firearm or ammunition to any person who has been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution. The bill instead prohibits such a sale or disposition to any person who has been adjudicated mentally incompetent or committed to a psychiatric hospital, as defined by the bill. The bill also establishes: (1) procedures for administrative review of a determination that a person has been adjudicated mentally incompetent or committed to a psychiatric hospital, and (2) conditions for removal of records from NICS. The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the following: (1) adult and juvenile collaboration programs, and (2) mental health courts and qualified drug treatment programs.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), if unable to furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care at VA facilities or under other authorized contracts or sharing agreements, to enter into a Veterans Care Agreement with an eligible provider to furnish such care and services. The VA shall review Agreements exceeding $1 million annually at least once every two years. The VA shall establish a process for the certification of eligible providers. An eligible provider is: a physician or provider of services that has entered into a provider agreement under the Social Security Act; a provider of items and services receiving payments under a state Medicaid plan; an aging and disability resource center, an area agency on aging, or a center for independent living; or any other health care provider the VA considers appropriate. The VA shall establish a system or systems to monitor the quality of care and services furnished to veterans, which shall be used in assessing whether to renew an Agreement. An Agreement may be made with a health care provider to provide veterans with nursing home care.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Protect Our Military Families' 2nd Amendment Rights Act Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer of firearms to ship to the spouse of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty outside the United States or to clubs composed of such members and spouses, and authorizes such a spouse or club to receive, a firearm or ammunition generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes and intended for the personal use of such spouse or club. Describes a member of the Armed Forces on active duty or a spouse of such member, for purposes of federal firearms provisions, as a resident of the state in which: (1) the member or spouse maintains legal residence, (2) the permanent duty station of the member is located, or (3) the member maintains a place of abode from which the member commutes each day to the member's permanent duty station.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act of 2015 Authorizes a Wall of Remembrance, as part of the previously authorized Korean War Veterans Memorial, to include: (1) a list by name of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who died in theater in the Korean War; (2) the number of members who were wounded, listed as missing in action, or prisoners of war; and (3) the number of members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and the other nations of the United Nations Command who were killed, wounded, missing, or prisoners. Prohibits using any federal funds to construct the Wall.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Board Enhancement Act This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to require the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish: (1) a Small Business Advisory Board to advise and consult with the CFPB in the exercise of its functions under the federal consumer financial laws regarding financial products or services provided for use by consumers primarily for personal, family, or household purposes and to provide information on emerging practices of small businesses that provide such products or services; and (2) a Credit Union Advisory Council and a Community Bank Advisory Council to advise and consult with the CFPB on consumer financial products or services that impact credit unions and community banks, respectively.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
State Licensing Efficiency Act of 2015 This bill amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to direct the Attorney General to provide appropriate state officials responsible for regulating financial service providers (in addition to state officials responsible for regulating state-licensed loan originators) with access to criminal history information to the extent that criminal history background checks are required under state law for the licensing of such parties.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2015
Regulations Endanger Democracy Act of 2015 or the RED Tape Act of 2015 Prohibits a federal agency from issuing a covered rule (a rule that causes a new financial or administrative burden on businesses or people in the United States) that either amends or modifies an existing agency rule or does not amend or modify an existing rule unless the agency has repealed one or more existing covered rules and the cost of the rule to be issued is less than or equal to that of the covered rules repealed. Exempts a covered rule that: (1) relates to the internal policy or practice of, or procurement by, the agency; or (2) is being revised to be less burdensome by decreasing requirements imposed by, or compliance costs of, the rule. Prohibits any statutory pay adjustment from taking effect for any employee of an agency during any period during which the agency is not in compliance with such requirement. Directs an agency, in determining whether to repeal a covered rule, to consider: (1) whether the rule has achieved its purpose, has become obsolete, or overlaps with a covered rule to be issued; (2) any adverse effects that could materialize if the rule is repealed; and (3) whether the costs of the rule outweigh it benefits. Requires each agency, semiannually, to submit to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for publication in the Unified Agenda a list containing each covered rule the agency intends to issue, repeal, or amend during the following six months and the cost of each such rule.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act This bill transfers administrative jurisdiction over specified Bureau of Land Management land within Meade County, South Dakota, from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Veterans Affairs for inclusion in the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota. Upon transfer, the Cemetery's boundary is modified to include such land.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2015
Health Care Conscience Rights Act Amends title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to declare that nothing in that title requires an individual to purchase individual health insurance coverage that includes coverage of an abortion or other item or service to which the individual has a moral or religious objection, or prevent an issuer from offering coverage excluding such item or service to that individual. Denies that title I requires a health plan sponsor or a health insurance issuer to cover an item or service to which the sponsor or issuer has a moral or religious objection. Denies also that title I authorizes imposition of a tax, penalty, fee, fine, or other sanction, or imposition of coverage of such an item or service, on health insurance coverage that excludes such an item or service. Amends the Public Health Service Act to codify the prohibition against any action by the federal government and any state or local government receiving federal financial assistance to subject a health professional, or health care facility, organization, or plan to discrimination on the basis that the entity refuses to participate in abortion-related activities. Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate the Director of the Office for Civil Rights of HHS to receive and investigate complaints alleging a violation of this abortion discrimination prohibition. Creates a cause of action for the Attorney General or any person or entity adversely affected to obtain equitable or legal relief for any violation of this abortion discrimination prohibition. Allows commencement of an action and the granting of relief without a prerequisite pursuit of administrative remedies. Allows such an action against a federal or state governmental entity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2015
First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for the purpose of domestic preparedness for and collective response to terrorism, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to: (1) establish a program to provide anthrax vaccines nearing the end of their labeled dates of use from the strategic national stockpile to be administered to emergency response providers who are at high risk of exposure to anthrax and who voluntarily consent, (2) establish any necessary logistical and tracking systems to facilitate making such vaccines available, (3) distribute disclosures regarding associated benefits and risks to end users, and (4) conduct outreach to educate emergency response providers about the program. Requires DHS to: (1) support homeland security-focused risk analysis and assessments of the threats posed by anthrax from an act of terror; (2) leverage homeland security intelligence capabilities and structures to enhance prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts with respect to an anthrax terror attack; and (3) share information and provide tailored analytical support on threats posed by anthrax to state, local, and tribal authorities. Directs DHS, in coordination with HHS, to carry out a pilot program to provide anthrax vaccines to emergency response providers. Requires DHS to: (1) establish a communication platform and education and training modules for the program , to conduct economic analysis of the program, and to create a logistical platform for the anthrax vaccine request process; (2) select providers based in at least two states to participate in the program; and (3) provide to each participating provider disclosures and educational materials regarding the benefits and risks of any vaccine administered and of exposure to anthrax. Directs DHS to report annually on: (1) program results, including the percentage of eligible emergency response providers that volunteer to participate, the degree to which participants obtain necessary vaccinations, and recommendations to improve program participation; (2) DHS plans to continue the program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2015
Stopping Medication Abuse and Protecting Seniors Act of 2015 This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) authorize a Medicare prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsor to establish a drug management program under which the PDP sponsor may limit an at-risk beneficiary’s access to coverage for frequently abused drugs to include only those drugs that are prescribed by selected prescribers and dispensed by selected pharmacies; and (2) require a PDP sponsor to have in place a utilization management tool to prevent drug abuse. With respect to a drug management program, a PDP sponsor must: (1) provide specified notice to a beneficiary who has been identified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) as “at-risk” and consequently enrolled in the program; and (2) in selecting prescribers and dispensers, ensure that the beneficiary continues to have reasonable access to drugs. These determinations shall be subject to expedited reconsideration and appeal. A PDP sponsor must review and consider an at-risk beneficiary’s preferences regarding prescriber and pharmacy selection. Certain individuals, including those receiving hospice care or residing in a long-term care facility, are exempted from enrollment in a drug management program. CMS must, for purposes of quality or performance assessments, review and consider complaints received from at-risk beneficiaries regarding lack of access due to their enrollment in a drug management program. In addition, CMS must establish rules and procedures requiring a PDP sponsor to provide specified program data.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2015
Condemns Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) for perpetrating crimes against humanity and mass atrocities, and supports efforts by the United States, the African Union (AU), the international community, and governments in central Africa to remove Joseph Kony and LRA commanders from the battlefield and promote protection and recovery for affected communities. Supports efforts to provide the Regional Task Force with the logistics support and authorizations needed to access areas of suspected LRA activity in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Urges the President to reauthorize the deployment of U.S. Armed Forces personnel in support of Operation Observant Compass. Urges the AU and the Regional Task Force, with the support of the European Union (EU), as well as the governments of Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to implement the United Nations (U.N.) Regional Strategy. Welcomes the continued LRA defections, and calls on governments in the region and the international community to support such demobilization. Calls on the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the heads of relevant U.S. agencies to utilize funds to: (1) enhance intelligence support to the Regional Task Force; (2) work with the U.N., the AU, and regional government partners to help non-indicted LRA members, abductees, and noncombatants defect; (3) expand efforts to prevent the LRA from funding its operations through the theft and trade of illicit ivory, gold, and diamonds; and (4) support rehabilitation and reintegration programs for abducted children, youth, and adults. Commends those members of the U.S. Armed Forces previously or currently deployed in support of Operation Observant Compass for their critical contributions to efforts to remove Joseph Kony and LRA commanders and protect civilians. Urges the President to develop a strategy aimed at supporting sustainable recovery and security within areas affected by the LRA in partnership with other donors and multilateral bodies, including the World Bank, the EU, and others.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Recognizes the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Encourages celebration of the advancement of freedom and the expansion of opportunity made possible by its enactment. Pledges continued work on a bipartisan basis to support opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and the full participation of individuals in the United States who have disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
This bill directs the Attorney General to request that a division of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia appoint a special prosecutor to: (1) determine whether any action taken by Planned Parenthood Federation of America or any other entity that receives federal funds and conducts abortions or that provides funds to any other entity that conducts abortions violated any federal law relating to abortion, including the inappropriate change of abortion procedure, the use of fetus tissue following an abortion, or the use of federal funds for abortion; and (2) prosecute, if warranted, any such violation. The bill rescinds the unobligated balance of any federal funds provided to the Planned Parenthood and any affiliate state or local office and makes such amounts available to the special prosecutor to carry out activities under this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2015
Employee Rights Act Amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make it an unlawful labor practice for a labor organization or its agents to interfere with the rights of employees to organize and select representation to collectively bargain. Adds a requirement that representatives be selected by secret ballot in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by a majority of the employees in a unit. Defines "majority" for purposes of determining the majority of employees in an election to mean the majority of all employees in the unit, and not the majority of employees voting in the election. Requires the NLRB, in cases where an existing certified or voluntarily recognized bargaining unit experiences turnover, expansion, or alteration by merger of more than 50% of the unit's employees, to conduct a secret paper ballot among the unit employees: (1) between the 120th day and 110th day before the collective bargaining agreement's expiration or before the end of three years, if there is an agreement between the labor organization and the employer; or (2) within 30 days, if there is no agreement between such parties. Requires the NLRB to decide, before the election of a labor organization as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of all employees of an appropriate unit, whether such unit shall be the employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision unit. Requires the NLRB to give 14 days advance notice before a hearing when it is investigating an election petition if it has reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation affecting commerce exists. Revises the requirement that the NLRB direct an election by secret ballot, and certify its results, whenever it finds upon the record of such a hearing that a question of representation exists. Adds a requirement that the NLRB also review all post-hearing appeals before finding that such a question exists. Requires an employer to provide the NLRB a list consisting only of employee names and home addresses of all eligible voters within 7 days after an NLRB determination of the appropriate unit or following any agreement between the employer and the labor organization regarding eligible voters. Prohibits an election after the filing of a petition unless and until: (1) a hearing is conducted before a qualified hearing officer on any and all material, factual issues regarding jurisdiction, statutory coverage, appropriate unit, unit inclusion or exclusion, or eligibility of individuals; and (2) the issues are resolved by a regional Director, subject to appeal and review, or by the NLRB. Declares that election results shall not be final nor any labor organization be certified as a bargaining representative unless the NLRB has ruled on: (1) each pre-election issue not resolved before the election; and (2) the NLRB conducts a hearing and resolves each issue pertaining to the conduct or results of the election. Makes any labor organization found to have interfered with, restrained, or coerced employees in the exercise of their rights to form or join a labor organization or to refrain from forming or joining (including the filing of a decertification petition) liable for lost wages and unlawfully collected union dues and fees, if any, and an additional amount as liquated damages. Amends the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act) to permit an election by secret ballot to be conducted through votes cast by electronic ballot cast in the privacy of a voting booth. Requires every employee in a bargaining unit represented by a labor organization, regardless of membership status, to have the same right as members to vote by secret ballot to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with, or to engage in, a strike or refusal to work of any kind against their employer. Prohibits the use of an employee's union dues for any purpose not directly related to the labor organization's collective bargaining, unless that employee authorizes such expenditure in writing. Prohibits a strike without the consent of a majority of all unit employees affected, determined by a secret ballot vote conducted by a neutral, private organization chosen by agreement between the employer and the labor organization. Requires each labor organization to make the independently verified annual audit report of its financial condition and operations available to all of its members and represented nonmembers. Makes it unlawful for a person to use force or violence, or threaten the use of force or violence, to restrain, coerce, or intimidate a person, or attempt to, in order to obtain from any person any right to represent employees, compensation, or other term or condition of employment. Subjects persons who willfully violate such prohibitions to both civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015
Condemns the attack at the Grand Theatre 16 movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, on July 23, 2015. Honors the memory of the two Louisiana citizens who lost their lives. Recognizes the law enforcement officers, members of the Armed Forces, and first responders who responded to such attack.
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2015
Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) and Trade Enhancement Act of 2015 This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to revise country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. Under current law, country of origin labeling requirements are administered by the Department of Agriculture and require a retailer to inform consumers of the country of origin of a covered commodity. The bill repeals the mandatory requirements for beef, pork, and chicken and permits a packer to voluntarily designate any raw single-ingredient beef, pork, or chicken intended for retail sale as exclusively having a U.S. country of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Community Bank Access to Capital Act of 2015 This bill directs the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): (1) to each promulgate a regulation exempting community banks from regulations implementing "Basel III: A global regulatory framework for more resilient banks and banking systems," and (2) to revise capital requirements as they determine appropriate in light of such required regulations. A community bank is defined as one whose consolidated assets are not greater than $50 billion. The bill also exempts from the internal control attestation requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 both an insured depository institution and a depository institution holding company with consolidated assets of not greater than $1 billion. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is prohibited from adjusting under Regulation D the $1 million net worth threshold and $200,000 and $300,000 income thresholds that define a natural person as an accredited investor. The SEC shall increase from 35 to 70 the number of purchasers of securities in transactions deemed not to involve a public offering and so are exempt from regulation under the Securities Exchange Act of 1933. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended to: (1) subject a savings and loan holding company to registration requirements for securities whose issuer has total assets exceeding $10 million and a class of non-exempt equity security held of record by 2,000 or more persons; and (2) apply the automatic termination of registration, and suspension of the duty to file supplementary and periodic information, to a savings and loan holding company whose securities are found to be held by less than 1,200 persons.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015
Condemns the attacks of July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Honors the sacrifice and memory of the five members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives. Recognizes the skill and heroism of the law enforcement officers, members of the Armed Forces, and first responders who came to the aid of others. Commends the efforts of those who are working to care for the injured and investigate this horrific incident. Extends condolences and prayers to the families of the fallen, and to all those affected in Chattanooga and in the United States. Pledges to work together to prevent future attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015
United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress that expeditious consideration of certifications of letters of offer to sell defense articles, defense services, design and construction services, and major defense equipment to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is fully consistent with U. S. security and foreign policy interests and the objectives of world peace and security. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to include Jordan among the countries eligible for certain streamlined defense sales for three years. Authorizes the Department of State to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan to increase economic support funds and military cooperation, including joint military exercises, personnel exchanges, support for international peacekeeping missions, and enhanced strategic dialogue.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Tribal Infrastructure and Roads Enhancement and Safety Act or the TIRES Act This bill modifies the approval process used for certain transportation projects on Indian reservations by providing exclusions from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and establishing expedited approval procedures. This bill amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and other laws to exclude certain transportation projects located on Indian reservations from NEPA requirements for environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. It also expands several existing NEPA exclusions for transportation projects to apply the exclusions to various projects located on Indian reservations. The Department of the Interior must use an expedited approval process for certain projects, including tribal public safety projects, that are within an existing operational right-of-way on an Indian reservation. (An operational right-of-way includes property acquired for the construction, operation, or mitigation of a highway project.) The bill decreases from 6% to 5% the portion of tribal transportation program funds that the Bureau of Indian Affairs may use for administrative expenses. An Indian tribe participating in tribal self-governance or certain contracts or agreements for tribal transportation programs may assume all federal responsibilities under NEPA if the tribe: (1) designates an officer to represent the tribe and assume the federal responsibilities, and (2) accepts federal court jurisdiction for enforcing the responsibilities of the official. Interior must report to Congress on the quality of tribal government transportation safety data and options for improving road safety on Indian reservations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to accept additional documentation for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a coastwise merchant seaman during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such documentation to include Social Security Administration records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, documents, or other official employment records. Requires DHS, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period, to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for or discharging from the merchant marine. Considers any service so recognized as active-duty service for purposes of veterans' burial benefits. Makes such veterans eligible for any appropriate military medals, ribbons, and decorations. Requires DHS to verify that an individual performed such service under honorable conditions without regard to their sex, age, or disability during the service period.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015
Tribal Employment and Jobs Protection Act This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the definition of "applicable large employer" for purposes of the employer health care mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA): (1) any Indian tribal government or subdivision, (2) any tribal organization, or (3) any corporation or partnership if more than 50% of the equity interest of such an entity is owned by an Indian tribal government or tribal organization. An applicable large employer is defined by PPACA as an employer who employs 50 or more full-time employees who provide services on average at least 30 hours per week.
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Salary Collection Regulatory Relief Act . Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to repeal the requirement that the Securities and Exchange Commission amend certain federal regulations about executive compensation to require each issuer of securities to disclose in any filing: (1) the median of the annual total compensation of all the issuer's employees, except the chief executive officer; (2) the annual total compensation of the chief executive officer; and (3) the ratio of the first amount to the second.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Miners Protection Act of 2015 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to address potential shortages in the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan for payment of health care benefits to retired coal miners by expanding the eligible uses of interest transferable to such plan from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, and supplemental payments from the General Fund of the Treasury. The calculation of such interest and payments shall be made by taking into account only those beneficiaries who are actually enrolled in the plan as of the enactment of this Act, as well as those retirees whose health care benefits, payable directly by an employer in the bituminous coal industry under a coal wage agreement, would be denied or reduced as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer to the trustees of the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan additional funds to pay pension benefits required under that plan, if the $490 million cap on certain transfers to the UMWA Combined Benefit Fund and distributions to states and Indian tribes exceed the aggregate amount required to be transferred to them. The bill also expands the annual reporting requirements of the trustees of the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan on plan solvency and value of plan assets.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
This bill prohibits until January 1, 2016, enforcement against any person of integrated disclosure requirements for mortgage loan transactions under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974, the Truth in Lending Act, and regulations issued under such Acts. No suit may be filed against any person for a violation of such requirements occurring before that date, as long as the person has made a good faith effort to comply with them.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Condemns the attack on Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Offers condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and to the staff and congregation of Mother Emanuel.
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 Directs the President to report to Congress annually identifying: (1) satellite, broadcast, Internet, or other providers that have knowingly entered into a contractual relationship with al-Manar TV and its affiliates; and (2) the identity of those providers that have or have not been sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13224. Directs the President to prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly: facilitates a transaction or transactions for Hizballah, or for a person acting on behalf of, or owned or controlled by Hizballah; engages in money laundering to carry out such an activity; or facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services to carry out such an activity. Applies specified penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act for violations of this Act. Authorizes the President to waive the application of a prohibition for up to 180 days (with renewable 180-day waivers) if in U.S. national security interests, and with congressional notification. Requires the Department of the Treasury to identify to Congress every 180 days each foreign central bank that carries out a prohibited activity. Exempts from sanctions a foreign financial institution that is no longer engaging in a prohibited activity or is taking significant steps toward terminating such activity. Directs the President to report to Congress on whether Hizballah meets the criteria for designation as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker, and if the President determines that Hizballah does not meet such criteria, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Hizballah appears to meet the criteria for designation as a significant transnational criminal organization, and (2) the President should designate Hizballah as a significant transnational criminal organization. Directs the President to report to Congress on whether Hizballah meets the criteria for designation as a significant transnational criminal organization, and if the President determines that Hizballah does not meet such criteria, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met. Directs the Department of State to report to Congress regarding actions taken through the Department's rewards program to obtain information on Hizballah's fund raising, financing, and money laundering activities. Directs the President to report to Congress regarding: countries that support Hizballah, in which Hizballah maintains important portions of its global logistics networks, or in which Hizballah conducts significant fund raising, financing, or money laundering activities; an assessment of whether a country is taking adequate measures to disrupt Hizballah's networks and activities within that country; and methods that Hizballah, or any of its agents or affiliates, utilizes to raise or transfer funds, including trade-based money laundering, the use of foreign exchange houses, and free-trade zones. Directs the Department of State, Treasury, and the heads of other applicable federal departments and agencies to brief Congress on the disposition of Hizballah's assets and fund raising, financing, and money laundering activities. Declares that nothing in this Act shall apply to authorized U.S. intelligence activities.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
First Amendment Defense Act Prohibits the federal government from taking discriminatory action against a person on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. Defines "discriminatory action" as any federal government action to discriminate against a person with such beliefs or convictions, including a federal government action to: alter the federal tax treatment of, cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke certain tax exemptions of any such person; disallow a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person; withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status from or to such person; or withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any benefit under a federal benefit program. Requires the federal government to consider to be accredited, licensed, or certified for purposes of federal law any person who would be accredited, licensed, or certified for such purposes but for a determination that the person believes or acts in accordance with such a religious belief or moral conviction. Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce this Act against the Government Accountability Office or an establishment in the executive branch, other than the U.S. Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission, that is not an executive department, military department, or government corporation. Defines "person" as any person regardless of religious affiliation, including corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2015
Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act or the NATIVE Act Directs the Departments of Commerce and the Interior and each federal agency that has recreational travel or tourism functions or complementary programs to update their management plans and tourism strategies to include Indian tribes and organizations. Requires the plans to outline policy proposals to: identify agency programs that could be used to support tourism capacity building and help sustain tourism infrastructure in Native American communities; develop innovative visitor portals for parks, landmarks, heritage and cultural sites, and assets that showcase the diversity of the indigenous peoples of the United States; share local Native American heritage through the development of interpretive and directional signage that could include local Native American languages; and improve access to transportation programs related to Native American community capacity building for tourism and trade. Directs each agency to consult with Indian tribes and the Native American community to identify appropriate levels of their inclusion in federal tourism activities. Requires Interior to enter into an agreement with an entity with a record in tribal communities of developing and sustaining tourism in a manner that respects and honors native traditions and values to serve as a facilitator between Interior, Commerce, and the Indian tribes and organizations to identify and deliver assistance needed to empower such tribes and organizations to participate fully in the tourism industry. Requires each agency to: (1) help empower Indian tribes and organizations to showcase their heritage, foods, traditions, history, and continuing vitality; (2) support the efforts of Indian tribes and organizations to provide visitor experiences that are authentic and respectful; and (3) enhance efforts to promote understanding and respect for diverse cultures and subcultures in the United States. Authorizes the use of federal grants for which Indian tribes or organizations are eligible to: (1) support efforts to tell their story as the First Peoples of the United States; and (2) use the arts and humanities to help revitalize Native communities, promote economic development, increase livability, and present the uniqueness of the United States to visitors in a way that celebrates its diversity. Directs the Smithsonian Institution to work with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and nonprofit organizations to establish long-term partnerships with other museums and educational and cultural organizations to: (1) share collections, exhibitions, interpretive materials, and educational strategies; and (2) conduct joint research and collaborative projects that would support tourism efforts for Indian tribes and organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 Directs the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to make appropriate arrangements for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II. Requires that the medal, following its award, be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it will be available for research and for display at other appropriate locations associated with such veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit any person from performing or attempting to perform an abortion except in conformity with this Act's requirements. Requires the physician to first determine the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child. Prohibits an abortion from being performed if the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater, except: (1) where necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman; (2) where the pregnancy is the result of rape against an adult woman and, at least 48 hours prior to the abortion, such woman has obtained counseling or medical treatment for the rape; or (3) where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest against a minor and the rape or incest has been reported prior to the abortion to a law enforcement agency or a government agency. Requires the physician, prior to performing such an abortion, to place appropriate supporting documentation in the patient's medical file. Permits a physician to terminate a pregnancy under such an exception only in the manner that provides the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive. Requires a physician performing an abortion under an exception provided by this Act, if the pain-capable unborn child has the potential to survive outside the womb, to ensure that a second physician trained in neonatal resuscitation is present and prepared to provide care to the child. Makes such requirements and the requirement to obtain an informed consent form inapplicable if compliance would pose a greater risk of the death or the substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman. Requires, when a physician performs or attempts an abortion in accordance with this Act and the child is born alive, that: any health care practitioner present at the time humanely exercise the same professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as would be exercised for a child born alive at the same gestational age in the course of a natural birth; the child be immediately transported and admitted to a hospital; and a health care practitioner or any employee of a hospital, a physician's office, or an abortion clinic who has knowledge of a failure to comply with these requirements immediately report the failure to an appropriate state or federal law enforcement agency. Requires the physician who intends to perform an abortion under one of this Act's exceptions to first obtain a signed informed consent authorization form, which shall consist of: a statement by the physician indicating the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child; a statement that federal law allows an abortion after 20 weeks fetal age only if the mother's life is endangered when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest against a minor; a statement that the abortion must be performed by the method most likely to allow the child to be born alive unless this would cause significant risk to the mother; a statement that in any case in which an abortion procedure results in a child born alive, federal law requires that child to be given every form of medical assistance that is provided to children spontaneously born prematurely; a statement that these requirements are binding upon the physician and all other medical personnel who are subject to criminal and civil penalties and that a woman on whom an abortion has been performed may take civil action if these requirements are not followed; and affirmation that each signer has filled out the informed consent form and understands the information contained in the form. Requires the form to be: (1) signed in person by the woman seeking the abortion, the physician performing the abortion, and a witness; and (2) retained in the patient's medical file for six years from the later of the date of its creation or the date when it last was in effect. Makes this Act's requirements for the exception, where the pregnancy is the result of rape against an adult woman, that the woman has obtained counseling or medical treatment for the rape at least 48 hours prior to the abortion inapplicable if the rape has been reported prior to the abortion to a law enforcement agency or Department of Defense victim assistance personnel. Requires a physician who performs an abortion under an exception provided by this Act to comply with: (1) state laws regarding reporting requirements in cases of rape or incest as the state's Attorney General may designate, and (2) any applicable state laws requiring parental involvement in a minor's decision to have an abortion. Bars prosecution of a woman upon whom an abortion is performed in violation of this Act for violating or conspiring to violate this Act. Authorizes: (1) a woman upon whom an abortion has been performed in violation of this Act to obtain specified appropriate relief in a civil action, and (2) a parent of a minor upon whom an abortion has been performed under an exception and that was performed in violation of this Act to obtain such relief unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct. Requires any physician who performs an abortion under this Act's exceptions to annually submit a summary of all such abortions to the National Center for Health Statistics, which shall issue a public report annually providing statistics by state for the previous year. Defines "abortion" to mean the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device: (1) to intentionally kill an unborn child of a woman known to be pregnant; or (2) to intentionally terminate a pregnancy, with an intention other than to produce a live birth and preserve the life and health of the child after viability or to remove a dead unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
This bill addresses medical evidence reviews in the case of: (1) a former member of the Armed Forces who was deployed in a contingency operation and subsequently diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as a consequence of such deployment, or (2) a former member whose application for relief from the terms of his or her military discharge is based in whole or in part on matters relating to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury related to combat or military sexual trauma. Any board of review shall: review medical evidence of the Department of Veterans Affairs or a civilian health care provider presented by the former member, and review the case with a rebuttable presumption in favor of the former member that post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury materially contributed to the circumstances resulting in the discharge of a lesser characterization.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Patient Freedom Act of 2015 This bill provides states with three options regarding title I (provisions on health insurance reform, exchanges, and subsidies) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA): (1) continue implementing PPACA, (2) do not apply title I of PPACA except to prohibit lifetime or annual limits on health insurance benefits and require coverage of dependents up to 26 years old, or (3) the second option plus implementation of a health savings account (HSA) deposit system. In states implementing an HSA deposit system, residents who are enrolled in health insurance coverage that meets state standards receive monthly deposits in their HSAs either from states administering federal funds or as a tax credit paid in advance. States that administer deposits are entitled to payments from the Department of Health and Human Services for population health initiatives. States with an HSA deposit system must offer a health insurance plan that is continually available for enrollment and penalize residents who have a break in coverage. This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to disregard assets in an HSA for purposes of determining Medicaid eligibility and benefits except for long-term care services. This bill amends SSAct title XVIII (Medicare) to require participating hospitals to limit costs to individuals for uncovered emergency medical care. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the requirement that an individual have a high deductible health plan to be eligible for the tax benefits of an HSA. HSAs can be used to pay premiums for health insurance that meets specified requirements. HSA tax benefits only apply to payments for health care for which the provider publishes the price.
United States · United States Congress · 3 June 2015
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, as of December 1, 2015, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development Act of 2015 or the BUILD Act This bill amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to: (1) revise and reauthorize brownfields revitalization funding through FY2018, and (2) reauthorize state response programs through FY2018. (Brownfields are certain commercial properties that are hindered from reuse or redevelopment due to the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.) Certain nonprofit organizations and community development entities are made eligible for brownfields revitalization funding. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must establish a program to provide multipurpose grants to carry out inventory, characterization, assessment, planning, or remediation activities at brownfield sites. The brownfield site characterization and assessment grant program is revised by authorizing eligible governmental entities to receive grants for property that was acquired before January 11, 2002, even if the entities do not qualify as bona fide prospective purchasers. The bill increases the cap on the amount that may be given in grants and loans for each site to be remediated. The EPA must establish a program to provide grants to: (1) carry out inventory, characterization, assessment, planning, feasibility analysis, design, or remediation activities to locate a clean energy project at brownfield sites; and (2) capitalize a revolving loan fund for those purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Department of Defense Cyber Support to Civil Authorities Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a comprehensive plan for the U.S. Cyber Command to support civil authorities in responding to cyber attacks by foreign powers against the United States or a U.S. person. Requires the plan to include: (1) a plan for internal DOD collective training activities to be integrated with exercises conducted with other federal agencies and state and local governments; (2) any historical frameworks used in the formulation of the plan; (3) descriptions of the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of federal, state, and local authorities, as well as the active and reserve components of the Armed Forces; and (4) any legislative and administrative actions necessary to carry out the plan. Directs the Government Accountability Office to review such plan.
United States · United States Congress · 2 June 2015
Long Range Strike Aircraft Mix Act of 2015 This bill directs the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on the results of a to-be-performed independent study that determines a future mix for the Armed Forces of: (1) shorter range fighter-class strike aircraft and long-range strike aircraft platforms, and (2) manned aerial platforms and unmanned aerial platforms.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to instruct Medicare contractors not to enforce requirements for direct physician supervision of outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2015.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2015
Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act of 2015 or the STREAM Act of 2015 This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to direct the Department of the Interior to make publicly available the scientific products used in developing a rule under the Act or any related environmental impact statement, environmental assessment, or economic assessment when the rule or assessment is published. If those scientific products received federal funds, Interior must also make publicly available the data used and the background information of its authors. If Interior does not comply, the notice and comment period for the rules and assessments will be extended by specified periods. A rule or an assessment must be withdrawn if Interior fails to comply for more than 180 days. In carrying out the Act, Interior: (1) may not make any determination regarding certain agency action subject to specified mining and environmental Acts, and (2) shall defer to the determinations of an agency or state authority implementing those Acts with respect to any agency action under the jurisdiction of that agency or state.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2015
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Accountability Act of 2015 This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 to change the source of funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from Federal Reserve System transfers to annual appropriations. Under current law, the transfers from the Federal Reserve System permit the CFPB to be funded outside of the annual congressional appropriations process.
![Official portrait of Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000605_200.jpg)